Driving mechanism for automobiles.



vN0. 878,955. PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908.- H. K. HOLSMAN.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR'AUTOMQBILES A APBLIOATION Him) APB, zu, 190.1.

EAL-M Wm 65365, f a w- UNITED STATES Farm: onnrcn.

HENRY K. HOLSMAN, OFCHLICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Toe/Tl whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY K. Honsnmu, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in' the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l h'iving Mechanism. for Automobiles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention is concerned with certain improvements in driving mechanism for automobiles, and more especially with the reverse dri ving, mechanism, of the general type shown in my Patent No. 697,720, granted April 15, 1902, in which. the vehicle is re versed or driven backward by reason of the reverse disks carried by, the driving shaft being thrown backward and brought directly in contact wi th the tread surface of the tires of the traction wheels, thc'rearward movement of the driving shaft serving at the same time to loosen the tension on the ropes which drive the vehicle forward. This direct engagement of the reverse disks with the tread surface of the tires tends to wear them out rapidly where soft rub ber tires are employed, and to remedy this dilliculty as well as to secure a more powerful and ellicient drive, I provide the novel structure shown, in which. the reverse disks have peripheral grooves whose sides make small angles with each other,so that the rubber tire or tread surface is not engaged by the reverse disk, which engages only with. the iron rim of the Wheel, leaving the tire or tread sur-- face untouched, and consequently unaffected by the friction and strain which otherwise would result when the vehicle is backed.

To illustrate my invention, 1 annex hereto a sheet of drawings, in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the figures, of which,

Figure lis a side elevation of an automobile having my invention applied thereto; Fig. l is a side elevation of one of thereyerse disks; and Fig. 3 is an edge view of the same, with the lower halfin section, showing the engagement ofthe disk with the rim of the wheel.

It Will be understood that the general driving mechanism of this type of automobile consists of the} driving shaft 0;, which may be directly connected to arnotor which moves with. it to tighten or loosen the driving rope I), or which may be driven from a motor shalt amounted in stationary bearings and suit- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 20. 1907- Serial No. 369d.

Patented Feb. 1 1, 1 908.

ably geared thereto, as by sprocket wheels and the chain d. As shown, the shaft a is supported in bearings carried by the links e, and a controlling lever f, which cooperates with a suitable detent segment 9, has the link It at the lower end connecting the lever to the links 0, so that the shaft (i may bethrown forward in position so that the rope- I), which runs over the sheave 71 secured to the shaft o. and over the pulleyrim j secured to the spokes of the traction wheel 7c, may be tightened so to drive the vehicle forward. When the vehicle is to be reversed, the lever is moved in the opposite direction so as to carry the shaft (1 to the rearward, so as to b 'ing the reverse disk Z, which is in the vertical plane of the rimof the wheel is, into engagement with the periphery of the traction wheel to drive the vehicle backward.

As seen in my aforesaid rior patent, No,

697,720, the reverse disk Z (t ere lettered i) is only slightly concaved on its peripherywhich engages the tire m directly.

not engage the tire 'm, but will engage the vertical flanges q of the rim 1', which is secured upon the fellies s .in the customary man" ner. By my novel construction, it will be perfectly apparent that all the strain which has hitherto been thrown upon the tire m in backing is removed from the tire, which when it is of rubber, as is preferable, of

course, is seriously affected by the strain,

whereas the rim 1, which is of metal, is not seriously affected thereby.

It will be noted that the angle of the groove in the reverse disk is very acute, especially on its engagingsurfaces, and this is essential, as the tractlon effect of the reverse disk upon the traction wheel results from the wedging action possible with this acute angle, rather than from. direct pressure on the wheel, as would he the case with the structure of my rior patent. i

While I rave shown and described my invention as embodied in the-form which I at present consider best adapted to carryout its purposes, it will be understood that 1t is capable of modifications, and that I. do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims except as may be neces sitated by the state of the prior art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a traction wheel having a tread surface and carrying a tire rim, of a driving disk having a deep groove whose sides set at an acute angle to each other are adapted to engage the outer edges of the rim, which edges have a corres onding angle; and means for rotating the dis i 2. In a device of the class described, the combination with the traction wheel carrying a tire rim, and a tire centrally disposed on said rim and of less width than the rim, of a driving disk having a deep groove whose sides set at an acute angle to each other are T 3. In a device of the class described, the combination with the traction wheel carrying the flanged tire rim, and'a tire centrally disposed on said rim between the flanges, of'a' driving disk having the deep groove whose sides set at an acute angle' to each other are adapted to engage the outer sides of the flanges, which sides have a corresponding angle, and means for rotating the disk.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and aflixed my seal, April, A D. 1907.

; HENRY K. HOLSMAN.

Witnesses:

JOHN HOWARD MOELROY. M. S. REEDER.

this 17th day of I [L. s] i 

